April 8, 2015

Leading
national companies in North Carolina want more choice and competition when it
comes to energy, including where it comes from and who they buy it from. That’s
the message recently delivered to the North Carolina legislature in a letter
signed by 10 corporate giants in the state.

The list of companies calling for action is impressive,
including:

Some of the country’s largest retailers – Walmart, Lowes,
Target, Family Dollar, and Macy’s

North Carolina’s current law prohibits companies from
contracting with energy providers other than utilities. It’s easy to understand
how that law squashes consumer choice and competition.

The 10 companies want the ability to buy clean, renewable
electricity directly from providers other than utilities like Duke Energy and
Dominion. Greater choice in the North Carolina electricity market would provide
a wide range of benefits. For example, companies and homeowners would be able
to lease rooftop solar panels from clean energy providers at little to no
upfront cost and lock in long-term, stable electricity rates.

The ability to choose a clean energy provider is commonly
known as “third party sales,” and it’s not a new concept. In fact, North
Carolina is one of only five states that prohibit companies from selecting
where they buy their power.

Fortunately, that may change in the state’s 2015 legislative
session. A bill called the “Energy Freedom Act” would nullify the state’s
outdated prohibition on third party sales, allowing independent power producers
to bypass Duke Energy and Dominion and sell clean energy directly to businesses
and homes. As a win-win for the state’s economy and clean energy, the bill’s
list of sponsors reflects bipartisan support for energy freedom.

In their letter to lawmakers, the companies said that “the
availability of competitive renewable energy choices is also a key factor for
many of us when we choose where to do business.”

North Carolina has failed to keep pace with other states on
energy choice and competition, and businesses have taken note. Now lawmakers
can help the state catch up.